Feds: Man accused of shooting dog now on the run

CLEVELAND -- Federal officials say Raymone "Ramone" Clements, 42, of Cleveland, the man accused of shooting a dog in Cleveland Heights' Forest Hills Park and leaving the dog for dead, has been criminally indicted by federal officials for being a felon in possession of ammunition, something not allowed by his previous convictions.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Clements, who was scheduled to be arraigned in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court at 8:30 Friday morning on charges relating to shooting the dog now named "Forrest," is on the run.

Anyone with information about Clements' whereabouts is asked to call 1-800-ATF-GUNS or the Cleveland Heights Police Department 1-216-321-1234.

Clements was found to have one round of .357-caliber ammunition and two rounds of .22-caliber ammunition on Dec. 20, 2012, despite previous convictions in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas for rape (2006), drug trafficking (2003) and aggravated robbery (1991), according to the indictment.

This case began when Clements was accused of tying "Forrest" to a tree in Cleveland Heights Nov. 25, then shooting the dog, leaving him for dead.

Dog walker Dee Shedlow found the mastiff dog -- now named Forrest -- early Nov. 26 and the PAWS Ohio rescue group took care of him. Forest was emaciated, weighing only 70 pounds. Forest, now recovered, is now living in a loving home in Solon.

In that incident, Clements has been charged with animal cruelty, discharging a weapon in city limits and having weapons under disability. If convicted on all counts, Clements faces 5 years and 7 and a half months in prison.

Clements is a convicted felon and is not permitted to have a weapon. Court records show Clements has five aliases and began his criminal career at the age of 18, being convicted of receiving stolen property.

He failed to show for his first court appearance back in 1988 and was arrested on a warrant.

Clements has 17 cases that he has been involved in. His last prison term, after he pleaded guilty in 2006 to rape against victims who were under 13, was five years.

He left prison in 2011.

"This office places a high priority on keeping firearms and ammunition out of the hands of those who are forbidden by law from obtaining them," U.S. Attorney Steve Dettelbach said.

"Whether is a person using a gun to commit a violent crime, a felon illegally obtaining ammunition or a straw purchaser trying to circumvent the law, we will aggressively pursue those who would violate our nation's firearms laws."

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio filed 176 indictments for violations of federal firearms laws last year, with the average sentence being more than six years in prison.